Confession.

**Confession time**  I haven't started my Couch-to-5K training for the Color Run yet.  Because.......**super embarrassing confession time** I didn't own a pair of tennis shoes.  Wait, clarification:  I owned a pair of tennis shoes, but they were a boy's pair and were very tight and I hadn't worn them in years.  Not even really sure where they're located right now.  I LOATHE tennis shoes.  They're ugly with jeans, I would never wear them in public to just go shopping, and I didn't see the point in owning a pair. When I vowed to start my workouts, I realized this meant I would have to go buy a pair of tennis shoes.  Gag.  I tried to pump myself up and had visions of cute pairs of sneakers dancing through my head. With that idea, I walked into a local shoe store.  After looking at 3 pairs, I walked right back out.  Holy Super Expensive Rubber Shoes Batman!!  Tennis shoes are like $80+!  Who knew this information and didn't tell me?!  I could buy a rug for that much.  Heck, I could buy a one day pass to Disney World for that much.  No thank you.  After that, I kind of gave up on my shoe hunt and put working out on the back burner.  Until my mom so kindly pointed out yesterday that I hadn't started the Couch-to-5K  Yikes.  Nothing like your mother calling you out on a commitment you made and haven't done yet.  Less than an hour later, I was a proud owner of a pair of purple Ryka tennis shoes (don't worry...never heard of them either) from TJ Maxx for a whole $35 (God bless you TJ Maxx with your ridiculously marked down name branded merchandise). These suckers are comfortable too...they basically have an Orthopaedic sole (because I'm secretly 90 years old and have terrible back and knee problems).

via 

Couch-to-5K, watch out!  Because here I come (now that I finally have the appropriate footwear *blush*)

30 for 30...almost.

I admit defeat.  If any of you were wondering, I never finished my "30 for 30" posts.  Don't get me wrong--I finished the challenge:  only 30 items of clothing and shoes for 30 days.  I did it.  I promise (ask anyone around me...they know I wore the same exact clothes every day). Where I failed was actually documenting every single day's outfit in a photo.  I got to day 22.  Then we went on vacation.  Actually, then I was busy packing and then we went on vacation.  I kept telling myself that I was going to get the clothes out and take pictures of the outfits I wore on days 23-30.  But life happened.  We came home, I had mountains and mountains of laundry to do and sort and put away (some until next summer).  Then we decided to put our house up for sale and I've been obsessed with trying to keep the house clean every morning before I leave for work and then trying to make as little mess as possible every evening (most days I fail miserably).  Days 23-30 never got photographed.  At least I had good intentions, right?  That's life though....especially life for me right now.  I have amazing intentions:  I'm going to fix dinner every night, I'm going to cut coupons and spend as little as possible on frivolous things, I'm going to finish all my laundry, I'm going to re-decorate the house and make it more fashionable, I'm going to clear out my entire wardrobe and make myself more presentable.  And then life happens.  I cook dinner maybe one night out of the entire week and eat sandwiches the rest.  I cut coupons for a few things, take them to the grocery and then forget I had them.  I see a cute pair of shoes that are calling my name and talk myself into buying them.  I have piles of laundry waiting for me every single night, the decor in my house hasn't been changed in over 6 months and my wardrobe is nowhere near as fashionable as I want it.  Since when is life perfect?  I'm sure as heck not. :)  So, without further ado, days 21 and 22.

One more dose of imperfection before I go.....taking these pictures was sometimes a pain in the rear.  Because my daughter is an expert photobomber.  She somehow would know the exact second I was taking a picture because she would rush in and sneak into my photo before I even knew it.  Examples:

 

 

I'm telling y'all.  She could make a living out of photobombing. 

My Purse: The Inside Story.

I've seen this type of post floating around blog-world and I think it's just a fun way for you to get to know me a little bit better.  It's a glimpse into something that is really important to me.....my purse.  If you know me at all, you know that I have a slight purse addiction.  I'm MUCH better than I used to be (it used to be a struggle to go into a department store and not buy a purse...or at least go over to the accessories department and look at them), but I still love my purses.  I switch them out almost every day depending on what color my outfit is and I take pride in keeping it organized and clutter free.  Wanna take a peek inside?

If you can't tell, I keep everything in their own separate bags.  I CANNOT STAND having loose odds and ends floating around in my purse.  It makes it frustrating when I go digging through my purse trying to find something and it drives me bananas.  So, inside my purse is a bunch of mini-purses, if you will.

Mini-purse #1:  My makeup bag.  It contains:  4 chapsticks, 5 lipsticks, one eyeliner pencil, one eyeliner pencil sharpener, two nail files, one travel size hairspray, a makeup sponge, a concealer stick and a compact mirror.  I have a problem.

Mini-purse #2:  My medicine bag.  I have the world's worst immune system.  For reals.  If it's an illness and it's within 10 miles of me, I'm gonna catch it.  I have also been blessed with outrageously ridiculous allergies (if it lives or grows, I'm allergic to it) and a food allergy to carrots (dumbest. food allergy. EVER.).  Hence the band-aids, hand sanitizer, Zyrtec, Gas X, Benadryl, migraine pills, Advil and Epi-Pen.  If you're dying, I can fix you.

I also have a mini-purse #3 containing many, many, many pencils and pens.  You never know when you're going to need to take notes or write a check or sign a document.  Big believer in being prepared.

Now, for the rest of the story in my purse.  I have a little bag (the turquoise one) that contains all the junk I don't want floating in my purse....receipts I wanna keep, checkbook registers, etc.
Here's where I think I may have a little issue with OCD (the first step is admitting you have a problem, right?).  I have not one, but TWO coupon containers.  The blue one you see has all of Avery's coupons--broken down into diapers, wipes, food, medicines, toys and clothes.  Inside the blue container is a red floral coupon container that has all of my grocery coupons.  It has slots for freezer items, deli, household cleaners, pantry items, paper products, etc.  I LOVE it.  It makes the obsessively organized me very, very happy.
Finally, the little Coach handheld thingy is where I keep all of my cards that I use every day:  my license, insurance cards, credit cards, all that jazz.  It's in easy reach and I don't have to take my ginormous wallet or entire purse in when I'm just on a trip into the store to get two things.

I go nowhere without my planner.  I feel lost without it.  And, because I'm a color coded nerd when it comes to my planner, I carry colored pencils so I can literally "pencil you in" when something comes up.  I also carry a little notebook because you never know when you're going to need to remember something and jot it down.  Yes, I know my iPhone has an app to take notes.  I like handwritten, physical notes.  Call me old-fashioned.

I do actually carry a big wallet with me too.  It's kind of a wristlet type wallet that contain my checkbook, register, gift cards, cash, change and store loyalty cards.  Also, a picture of my Peepaw because my day is instantly made better when I get to pull out my wallet and see a picture of a man who always brought sunshine when I was around him.

Finally, the very few random things that are floating around, un-bagged:  my Disney World zebra sunglasses (each side has a Mickey head), a name tag from my recent trip to the National FFA Convention and two Andes mints from a fabulously yummy dinner at Olive Garden (my favorite). 

There you have it.  My purse.  If you were to stop me on a regular, unexpected day, it would look exactly like this, give or take a few packs of gum.  I realize that I'm obsessive.  But I am in my every day world, shouldn't my purse be reflective of that too??  It's so funny what the contents of a purse can say about a person.  What's in your bag?

Hair.

I have a hate/hate relationship with my hair.  I hate it and it obviously hates me because it refuses to do anything I want it to.  Lately, I've been undecided on the status of my hair.  I look at pictures like this....

...and I think I want long hair again.  It was pretty, I felt younger and skinnier.  Then I remember that it was always a pain to curl and make it look just right and most of the time, it looked messy and heavy.....

...and I think that it wasn't worth it.  So then I look at pictures of my hair right after my wedding when I'd had enough of the long hair business and chopped it all off....

...and I think I want short hair again. It was easy, it was efficient, it looked cute.  Then I remember that I have craptastic thin hair that even the best root boosting, volumizing product can't help and I'm afraid I look balding with short hair....

...and I think I want to shave my head.  Not to mention my bangs.  My $*@(!* bangs.  Without mincing words, I HATE them.  I was cursed blessed enough to get a cowlick right in the middle of my bangs near my natural part.  Needless to say, having cute, bob style bangs was never an option for me.  So I thought I could pull off the side swept bangs that seem to be all the rage.  But, because of my cowlick, my bangs separate away from the rest of my hair:



So I'm trying to grow my bangs out to avoid this issue.  Except, right now, it's in the "growing-out-in-my-face-looks-totally-stupid-and-drives-me-crazy" phase and it's all I can do not to take a pair of scissors and chop them down to my scalp.  *sigh*  What do I do?  I've never been good at hair.  I don't know what products to use, I don't do hairstyles (although I wish I had time to do them) and I'm just at a loss on how to make my hair look good.  What's your vote?

Thirty for Thirty {days 16-20}



Without further ado, days 16-20 of my Thirty for Thirty challenge.  

I think I've hit a stride with mixing and matching my outfits.  I was particularly proud of days 17 and 18.  For someone that isn't very fashion forward, I was impressed that I actually thought to put day 17 together....not only that, I wore it outside around other people.  It may not seem anything too wild, but for me, I was nervous about it.  I almost cried on day 20 because it was actually cool enough for me to wear a scarf and boots.  Fall, I thought you'd never come. 
Maybe sometime before November, I'll get the last 10 days of my challenge on here. 

By the way, are you a follower?  Reminder that when I reach 50 blog followers and 100 likes on my Facebook page, I'll be doing a unique, handmade giveaway!

Thirty for Thirty {days 11-15}

Holy busy schedule Batman.  Life has completely been turned upside down these last few weeks.  Marty and I have been an incredible opportunity to buy a house in our hometown of Elizabethtown.  In order to get this house, we have to sell ours....in 4 months.  Not an impossible task, but now is not the ideal time to sell a house (or so we've been told) and my worrying nature and anxiety has kicked into overdrive.  I have a TON of work to do to get our house ready to show and a new post on my Thirty for Thirty challenge has been the last thing on my mind.  But, in case you're interested, here's days 11-15. 

I kind of hit my stride after day 11.  It was much easier to mix and match my pieces with accessories.  I wish I could be like some of the people that I got my inspiration from and really go all out with my accessorizing and fashion choices.  But I'm not there.....yet.  This challenge has made me more fashion conscious and what I'm putting on my body every morning.  I kind of feel like an outfit isn't complete without some bracelets and a belt now.  Who knows if it'll continue after I'm allowed to explore the rest of my closet again.  By the way, who else is excited that it's FINALLY Fall?!??  Hello boots, scarves and goodbye ridiculously hot weather and summer clothes :)

Thirty for Thirty {days 6-10}

I know I'm a little behind, seeing that today has been the 13th day of my "30 for 30" challenge, but here's an update on days 6 through 10. 

Yikes.  Looks like I need to retire that white shirt for this next week.  It got A LOT of wear this week!!  It also looks like I need to start taking pictures with my real camera...iPhone pictures just aren't cutting the mustard anymore. 
Day 10 has probably been my favorite outfit so far.  I love yellow and black together.  On the flip side, day 9 was probably my least favorite.  That skirt just accentuated the pooch I'm trying so hard to get rid of and made me feel self-conscious the whole day.  Looks like it's time to retire it and put it with the other clothes I want to wear when I'm skinnier. 
I've done a MUCH better job this week of accessorizing and dressing up outfits with belts and jewelry.  Skinny belts are my favorite (if you couldn't tell).  I also think I've developed an addiction to costume jewelry.  Anytime I go shopping, it's the first thing I check (since I'm not allowed to buy new clothes, it's the next best thing!).  My favorite places to buy cheap jewelry have been Wal-Mart, Target, Claire's (when things don't look too teenage-y) and a new discovery--Body Central.  When I shopped there the other day, all their jewelry was $3.90 (yes, you read that right).  I loaded up on bracelets and necklaces.  It's amazing to me how quickly a piece of jewelry can change an outfit completely. 
This week has been a lot easier than the first....see you again on days 11-15!

Thirty for thirty {days 1-5}

It's my first "30 for 30" update post and let me tell you people.....this is hard.  It may not be hard for a girl with major fashion sense that can accessorize anything from an evening gown to a paper bag.....but I am not her.  Far from it, in fact.  I never realized how hard it would be to mix up shirts and pants without making it look like I'm wearing the same thing every single day.  Plus, it doesn't help that it's been in the mid-90s here all week and layering to change the looks of my outfits is not an option.  Hopefully, I'll get to wear some of the blazers and cardigans I picked out before the end of this month.  Otherwise, you're going to be seeing the same outfits every single week.  *sigh*  Well, here goes.  My first five days on my 30 for 30 challenge.  Take a look.  Critique.  Tell me what would look good with that green shirt so it doesn't look like I have nothing else to wear.  Really.  I need feedback.

Suggestions?  Ideas?  Accessories you wanna give away to help me jazz these outfits up? 

Thirty for Thirty

Yesterday, I told you that I would be starting a new project today.  You might have heard of it before on Pinterest or browsing some of your favorite blogs.  I got the idea from Lauren, over at From My Grey Desk and her sister Kate, over at The Small Things Blog and The Pretty Life Anonymous (my favorite).  Starting today, I'm embarking on the "30 for 30 challenge."  Sound familiar?  No?  Let me explain. 
You can only wear 30 items for 30 days.  It sounds easy.  Read any blog of someone who's done it, they'll tell you otherwise.  Everyone has their own rules.  Here's mine:

1.  Only wear 30 items for 30 whole days.
2.  Items include: shirts, jackets, sweaters, shoes, pants, skirts, dresses.
3.  Accessories like belts, jewelry, scarves and hose aren't included.
4.  Undergarments like camis and tank tops are not included (This is necessary when you have a one year old that likes to yank your shirt down in front of a crowd of people.  Wish that was a joke.)

There's the rules.  There's the challenge.  Here's my 30:

September 1st to September 30th, this is all I get (I didn't include today's outfit because I bummed around the house all day--but I'm making up for it by wearing two outfits tomorrow).  Why, you ask?  Because I mentioned the other day that I was scared to branch out in my fashion.  I wear the same things over and over again because it's safe.  This will make me become braver with my accessories and outfit choices.  If I only get to wear 30 items for an entire month, I'm going to have to mix things up and find new ways to wear the items in my closet.  Not only that, I'll learn how to get more wear out of the things I own.  I'm really bad about only putting a shirt with a pair of pants and not adding anything else.  I wear this shirt with these jeans ONLY.  I don't know how to mix and match.  This will teach me how to wear this shirt with these jeans AND this skirt AND these dress pants.  Win-win. 

I almost forgot!  My sister, Dayna, is doing this with me.  She'll be documenting her 30 days over at the Nelson County Extension blog.  She's a Family and Consumer Sciences agent for the University of Kentucky and she'll be looking at the project from a thrifty side....save money by not buying new clothes every time you get tired of what you have.  Mix it up with other things and keep more dough in your pocket. 

It's going to be a long, but exciting 30 days.  Wanna come along for the ride?  We're more than happy to have a few fashion pioneers along with us!

Big Chicken.

I'm not a trendy person.  I don't see the point in following fads and spending the money to buy acid washed denim jackets if they're going to be out of style in 5 months.  I'm a classic kind of gal.  Black and white, classic cuts and silhouettes is where I live.  Nothing crazy.  Lately, however, I've been itching to try something a little different.  Sometimes, I wish I lived somewhere a little more fashion-forward so I wouldn't be looked at like a wackadoodle if I decided to try some trends on for size.  Or maybe people wouldn't think anything about it and I'm just wayyyyy too self-conscious.  Either way, I'm scared.  But I've definitely been eyeing a couple of fashion trends lately.

Colored jeans.
I want a pair of Kentucky blue colored skinny jeans SO. BAD.  Some of the colored jeans are a little out there.  I wouldn't want to flaunt a pair of mustard colored jeans anywhere.  But UK blue, teal, even red, I could see myself in.  As long as I stay at home.  With the blinds closed.  *sigh*

Red lipstick

I love red lipstick.  I think it's bold.  It's sassy.  It's feminine.  I even own a tube of it.  But I cannot wear it.  I've even applied it several times on my way to an event and end up rubbing it off before I get there.  I don't know what I'm afraid of.  Being too bold?  Standing out too much?  Who knows.  But I definitely have red lipstick phobia. 

Statement jewelry

Bib necklaces.  Colorful baubles.  Dangly earrings.  Giant rings.  I want them all. 

I guess this goes right back to the red lipstick and not wanting to stand out too much, but I'm afraid to wear them.  I'm nervous someone will look at me funny and say "Does she really think that looks good on HER?"  I guess I can drool over some pictures....

 

Basically, I just learned from this blog that I'm a big chicken. 

What do you think?

Would I look like a nerd?  Or should I put my big girl panties on and wear what I want because I only live once and it's about time that I become an independent woman?  Yeah, I'm leaning towards the first one too.... ;-)



Closet Nightmares No Longer

Tonight, I declared war on my closet. 
I'm tired of being depressed every single time I pick out an outfit to wear in the mornings.  I'm tired of wishing I had different clothes that make me feel good about myself.  I'm tired of having to use brute force anytime I want to put laundry away because my hangers are jam packed full of clothes--probably over half of which I never even wear.  No, I'm not at my goal weight or size.  But does that mean I shouldn't get to wear clothes that I feel amazing in?  Why should every morning because a struggle between "That doesn't fit anymore" and "I still feel kind of pregnant in that."??  Too many times, I've fought my closet, and it won.  Tonight, I'd had enough.  I tossed and purged and weeded and threw.  And this was the result:

Helping Hand and/or Goodwill is going to be getting a visit from me tomorrow.  It was more than a little ridiculous how many clothes I had that were rarely worn.  Some probably never saw the light of day after I added them to my closet.  I'm a sucker for sales and clearance racks.  If I see a shirt that's even halfway presentable, I'll talk myself into buying it.  You know the dialog: "If I put this shirt with just the right pair of shoes, it'll look really cute." or "If I find a tan cardigan to wear with this dress, it'll hide the sleeves and it'll be adorable."  Problem was, I never had the right pair of shoes or found a tan cardigan.  So those pieces lived in my closet, never to come back out.  Ridiculous.

The second pile is clothes that make me feel terrible about myself right now.  The ones that I remember wearing in my skinner lifetime and want to be able to wear again and cannot bring myself to throw away.  The ones that were torturing me.  I may never be able to wear them again, and that's okay.  I'm just not ready to part with them just yet.

The third pile, I'm a little embarrassed about.  Okay, really embarrassed about.  I'm guilty of keeping (and still wearing) a lot of my maternity tops in my closet.  When I lost a lot of weight when I was still nursing Avery, I put a lot of my maternity clothes away for my next pregnancy.  For some reason or another, I still held onto a choice few of my shirts that I really liked or thought I could pull of as looking non-maternity.  Truth is, I couldn't.  Truth is, I was probably hanging onto them as a type of security blanket to slip back into in case I ever had a "fat day."  No more of that.  They're safe and sound in a tote with the rest of my maternity clothes.

 

There's nothing like a good-old closet purge.  I highly recommend one.  Now, I'm going to (very slowly) build it back up with clothes of quality that I feel really good about.  Great pieces that make me feel just as great.  Tonight, I fought the closet.....and I won. 

Hot Mess no longer.

I'm done playing around.  I'm done saying that I'm going to lose weight and do all of these things to shed the baby pounds and then pull right back into the McDonald's drive-thru the next day.  Where'd my motivation come from?  Check out Mama Laughlin's blog and her progress from "former fatty" as she calls herself to a size 4.  She lost 60 + lbs.  And has two kids.  I have no more excuses.  I'm tired of being all talk and no action.  I'm tired of being self-conscious.  I'm tired of taking forever to get ready in the morning because I hate how everything looks on me.  I'm tired of being afraid of new clothes and the dressing room.  I'm tired of not being confident enough in my body to even want my husband to see me without a shirt on (sorry if that was TMI).  So, I'm beginning my "Hot Mess to Hot Mama" journey.  Today.  I'm going to document my weight and take pictures and share my journey.  It's my hope that I won't be judged by my extra baby fat or how I look in my "before" pictures.  I just hope to build up a support team and feel good about myself again.  And this is how I'm going to do it:

Weight: 142.5
Biggest weaknesses when it comes to my weight:  fast food, Dr. Peppers, snacking, unbalanced meals. 
Goal weight:  120
How I'm gonna do it: 
{1.} No more Coke.  Not long ago, I said I was going to cut myself down to just 1 can of Pepsi a day.  So far, it's not happening.  I've found that I have zero willpower when it comes to drinking sodas and I can't have just one.  If I've had one, it opens the door to more and before I know it, I've had two cans of Pepsi and a large McDonald's Dr. Pepper.  No, my daughter still doesn't sleep well.  But there are other ways to stay awake during the day than a constant caffeine intake.  Water makes me feel good and that's all I'm allowing myself. 
{2.}  Work-out.  I don't know that I'm comfortable yet with going to a gym.  I'm slightly asthmatic and LOATHE running because I look like a dying cow with my thundering feet and wheezing breaths.  Maybe work out videos?  I'll keep you updated on what works best for me.
{3.}  Motivation.  Every week I'm going to do a "Hot Mess" update, complete with a picture of the scale and myself to show you if I'm making any progress.  It's easy to sit on the other side of this computer and vow to change, but if you guys never see me, I can go on pretending that I'm living this healthy lifestyle.  Through pictures, you will know if I cheated.  You will know if I've lost any weight that week or that month. 
{4.}  Having a support system.  This is the best part....I'm not doing this alone.  My friend Sarah from "Our Family of Three" and I are doing this together.  Her daughter is just 3 months older than my Avery, so she knows all about having the baby fat hanging around.  She'll be documenting her progress and will be guest posting on what works for her.
{5.}  Feedback.  I'm not a gym rat.  I hate working out, I hate sweating and I hate the idea of eating like a rabbit forever and never enjoying another burger.  But if I want to feel good about myself again, I have to suck it up.  But I need your help.  What works for you?  What healthy recipes do you have that you'd like to share?  What's the secret to building endurance and running without collapsing a lung and wanting to die?  I'm all ears. 
This won't just be my journey to lose weight.  I'm going to work on all areas of my life that aren't making me feel like a "hot mama" right now.  It's going to be a self-discovery and self-love trip as well.  I don't like myself much right now.  I'm a hot mess....minus the hot part. 
Hopefully, with all of these factors, I'm going to lose my Avery weight and have confidence again.  Flabby to fabulous, here I come!

Introducing! The Crafting Chronicles!

It's no secret that am I am a gigantic Pinterest fan.  I drool over the awesomeness, sit in awe of the organizational tips and stew with envy over other people's resourcefulness and craft abilities.  I've finally decided that I'm tired of just admiring my pins from the comfort of my couch.  It's time to actually DO some of the amazing projects I've pinned.  And voila!  New series!  It will consist of all of the craft projects I do when Avery (finally) goes to sleep at night.  Some will be "stolen" Pinterest ideas, some will be ideas from my very own noodle (they do happen sometimes).  From upcycled furniture pieces to painted canvases, you'll see it all here!

For my first project, I decided to start with something pretty simple.  I found this idea that combined my love for Post-It's and to-do lists. 

Source

Genius!  Instead of writing a new to-do list every single week, you just swap out the Post-Its on this pretty doodled paper.  Love.  Here's my version, a little modified...

In the original version, the crafter had a Post-It where she could write whether her goals were for the day, week, month, hour, whatever.  I don't know about you all, but I ALWAYS have a daily and weekly to-do list.  So I made two.  I will keep my top 5 priorities on the list.  As I complete them, I peel the Post-It off, throw it away and replace it with another goal.  As I wrote out my goals, I realized that maybe I needed a bigger piece of paper....maybe a poster board-sized list??  I love this idea so much, I could kiss the woman that came up with it.  I told you, this idea is SO easy and a lot prettier than carrying that stupid scrap of paper with me everyday.  Pinterest, again....I love you.

I hope to have some more "Crafting Chronicles" ideas to share soon, but the summer, as usual, is filled with all kinds of activities and to-dos (can't you tell by my list??) and I'm not sure when I'll get to them all.  So stay tuned!

Wrap me up in a bow :)

I'm not sure what caused it. Maybe it was the cute little pair of silver bow stud earrings I found the other day at Rue 21. Maybe it's my love for all things feminine and simple. Maybe it's the fact that the first girl in 14 years was born into my family recently. Whatever the reason, I have a newfound obsession with bows. My mother and I were shopping in Louisville earlier in the week and bows were everywhere! Sweaters, screenprinted tshirts, bow headbands. I was in heaven. It even inspired me to make my own "wish list" on etsy.com today. I hope you enjoy these bow-utiful selections as much as I do :)

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4cf8000e99648eefe4d9f312/bow-utiful?index=0

Scaredy cat in love with hats.

I. Love. Hats. I do the same thing every year. I walk into stores when the fall clothes make their debut on the racks and I immediately check out the selection of winter hats. During a recent trip to Target, I drooled over at least 6 hats that I would love to have. But I have a problem: I'm scared. I want to be fashion forward and wear some trend setting things, but I don't want to go so far out there that people think I'm weird. And trouble is, I don't see a whole lot of people wearing hats around Etown. I don't want to be the only nerd sporting a fedora or a winter cloche. The fashion adventurous side of me says "Who cares?! If you think it's cute, then go for it!" But the more dominant, people pleasing side of me just wants to fit in. How nice it must be to just not care at all what people think. To be able to do whatever you want without fear of people thinking you're different or a nerd. Sigh. So I guess pictures of my lovely hats will have to do instead. Maybe I'll gain some courage one day and go buy myself one.......

Temptation resisted! For now...

I am less than a week into my shop-free journey and I have already faced my first temptation. Yesterday, my all-time favorite UK basketball player, Patrick Patterson, was at the Towne Mall in Etown signing autographs. Normally, I would scoff at the idea of waiting in line for hours with other UK fans just to get some person's signature, a quick picture and then get pushed along the line, my two minutes with the player long forgotten. But this was Patrick. Patterson. Do you understand this? The man that rose to team leadership as the "senior" of the team. The man that helped his freshmen teammates to mature as basketball players. The quiet, but intellegent, leader of last year's amazing basketball team. He is, by far, my favorite Kentucky player ever (and that's saying a lot, considering I was born watching Kentucky basketball). I had to go. Two hours in line and a dinky $25 picture would be a small price to pay to actually meet THE Patrick Patterson. When closing time arrived at work, I quickly gathered my things and ran out to my car, where my little sister was waiting for me to drive her towards a few hours of greatness. One and half hours, two basketball players autographs and one very shaky picture later, we are through the line and absolutely glowing with basketball enthusiasm. I file the moment away as one of my favorite Kentucky basketball memories. On our way out of the mall, I remembered a stop I needed to make: to Payless. Given my recent swearing off shopping, I was nervous to step foot in a shoe store. But I had a specific reason: buy shoes for an upcoming wedding that I'm in. I knew exactly which pair I needed. All I would have to do would be to quickly walk in the store, find the shoe, try them on, check out and leave. After giving myself a mini pep talk, I rushed into the store. I can do this. I can buy the required pair of shoes without taking a glance at any other shoes or being tempted. After all, I just met Patrick Patterson. I can do anything at this moment. I quickly walk into the section labeled "size 7." Without much searching, I find the shoes that I'm looking for. I slip them on my feet, make sure the size I have will work and make my way to the sales clerk. Silently, I congratulate myself for not even considering another pair of shoes. Maybe the next 3 months won't be as difficult as I had expected! I hand the shoes to the cashier, who looks at the shoes and sweetly says "Are you going to get another pair for half off? It includes anything in the store, including half priced items and accessories." Crap. I am the biggest sucker for a sale. Especially half priced shoes. Taking an extremely deep (and probably longer than necessary) breath, I announce "No thank you. I'm trying not to buy myself anything and these shoes are for a wedding I'm in." The cashier looks surprised...how many people turn down a half priced pair of shoes?? She rings up my single item, I pay and leave. Crisis averted. I know it hasn't even been a week, but I think I can do this for 3 more months. Maybe......